Ruthie Meets the Saddle Club
by Doggies45
Summary: What will happen when Ruthie spends a weekend with the Saddle Club? Chapter 4 just added!
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own anything pertaining to 7th Heaven or The Saddle Club  
  
A/N: I'm not the greatest writer in the world, especially at Friends. This, however, I hope I can write! This story is going to be only about Ruthie. No one else from 7th Heaven will be in it except for some small mentions. All of the other characters are either from the book series of The Saddle Club, or my imagination.  
  
"I can't believe my parents are going off and leaving me here." Ruthie thought to herself as her parents drove through the beautiful Virginia countryside. Her parents and siblings were going to a church convention in Washington D.C. Ruthie would have been going to the convention, but her riding instructor had insisted that she continue to practice her jumping because of a show she would be in the week after she returned from her weekend trip across the country. "This is not gonna be a great weekend, I mean I don't even know these girls, let alone want to be left alone with them. What's that stable's name, Pine Tree, Pine Wood, now I remember, Pine Hollow! That seems like kind of a funny name for a stable, oh well!" Ruthie thought to herself as she stared out the window.  
  
"Ruthie, we're here!" her mother exclaimed. Ruthie opened the door and stepped out of the car, a little blinded by the sunlight. She walked over to the open trunk and grabbed her duffle bag, and then she slammed the lid shut. Ruthie went over to the passenger side of the car and kissed her mother good bye and then waved to the rest of her family as they pulled away. She then walked toward the barn praying to herself that she would have a good time here.  
  
Ruthie walked into the barn and was amazed at the size of it. She saw three girls sitting on hay bales, but stopped quickly when she realized that they were in the middle of a conversation.  
  
"Max told me that this girl from California is gonna be hanging out with us for the weekend." said the girl with dark hair and pieces of hay all over her.  
  
"Did he say what her name is?" asked the blonde haired girl.  
  
"Ruthie, I think, or Ruth, you know, something like that." the dark haired girl answered.  
  
Finally, the third girl, a petite brunette with a very neat and clean look spoke "What time is she supposed to be here, I really want to get going on that trail ride."  
  
All of a sudden, Ruthie stepped out of the shadows and greeted the girls "Hi, I'm Ruthie!"  
  
"Hey Ruthie!" the other girls greeted her in unison. Ruthie then learned that the blonde girl's name is Stephanie, or Stevie for short, the dark haired girl's name is Carol, and the petite brunette's name is Lisa. The girls then told her that they were planning to go on a trail ride as soon as she got settled. Carol, Lisa, and Stevie then led Ruthie to the hay loft where they would be spending the next two nights.  
  
"Max told me that you should ride Patch, he's in the third stall on the left, and his halter and lead rope are green and to the right of his stall. The cross ties are over here and if you need our help, we'll be right over there" said Carol.  
  
"Okay, I think I got all of that, I'm riding Patch, he's in the third stall on the left, his halter and lead rope are green and they're to the right of his stall. Cross ties are over here and if I need your help, you'll be over there." Ruthie said while flashing a small smile. Carol nodded seriously, while Stevie and Lisa giggled.  
  
Ruthie went to go get Patch while the other three girls went to get their horses. Patch came easily with Ruthie and then she began to brush him. After Ruthie had finished brushing him, she began to pick out his hooves, but had to stop when she found that she couldn't get a rock out of his hoof. Even though she didn't want to seem stupid in front of her new friends, she knew that leaving a stone in a horse's hoof would be dangerous, so she went off in search of them.  
  
"Could any of you guys help me get a stone out of Patch's hoof?" Ruthie asked the girls.  
  
"Sure, I can!" answered Stevie. The two girls went back over to Patch and after a bit of effort, Stevie got the rock out.  
  
"Thanks Stevie, do you know what saddle I should use?" asked Ruthie.  
  
"It was not big deal, go ask Red, he'll be able to tell you, I think I saw him in the tack room, it's over there." answered Stevie.  
  
"Thanks!" Ruthie called over her shoulder as she jogged towards the tack room, not wanting to delay her new friends.  
  
When she reached the tack room, she found Red instantly and asked him which saddle she should use, he pointed to one and then she retrieved Patch's green saddle pads that matched his halter and lead rope. She then grabbed Patch's girth and hurried back to Patch. As quickly as she could, Ruthie tacked him up, knowing that she was behind Carol, Lisa, and Stevie in tacking up. All of a sudden, Ruthie remembered that she had left her helmet in her duffle bag that was in the hay loft. Ruthie ran up the stairs and began to tear apart her bag; finally she found it and then raced back down the stairs, hoping she hadn't taken too long. Ruthie was relieved to see that the rest of the girls were just getting the bridles for their horses too.  
  
"Why do you look so out of breath?" Lisa asked.  
  
"I---- just had to--- run to---- hay loft--- forgot--- helmet." Ruthie said. "Oh, okay!" Stevie exclaimed. Everyone gave her very weird looks because they didn't understand how she knew what Ruthie had said.  
  
The girls grabbed their horse's bridles and then made a plan to meet at the mounting block when they were done. Ruthie finished first and then hopped on at the mounting block. Carol, Stevie, and Lisa all did the same and then they touched a horseshoe that was worn down and very smooth.  
  
"It brings luck to you; it never has let anyone get badly injured when riding if they have touched it." Carol explained. Ruthie nodded and somberly touched the lucky horseshoe. Then the four girls were on their way.  
  
A/n: Please Review and PLEASE DON'T LEAVE FLAMES! 


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own anything about The Saddle Club or 7th Heaven. but I wish I did!  
  
A/N: Sorry I haven't written. midterms. but today I have a snow day so I'll finally update!  
  
"Wow, it's really beautiful out here!" Ruthie thought to herself as she rode Patch through the beautiful Virginia countryside.  
  
"So, Ruthie, where are you from?" asked Carole, one of the girls Ruthie was riding with.  
  
"Glenoak, California! Have you guys lived here all of your lives?" Ruthie asked.  
  
Stevie answered for the whole group when she said, "I have, and so has Lisa, but Carole here has moved ALL around; her dad's in the military and they kept moving from base to base when she was younger.  
  
"Thanks Stevie!" Carole said somewhat sarcastically. The girls then fell silent as they watched the beautiful countryside go by.  
  
"Let's canter!" exclaimed Lisa. All of the girls agreed and soon they were flying by on horseback. Finally, when the girls were back in a less open area, they slowed their horses down and the conversation began again.  
  
"What are your horses' names?" Ruthie asked.  
  
"This is Starlight; she's my horse, Lisa is riding Prancer, who is a retired racehorse, it's actually quite an interesting story. You see." Carole said as Lisa and Stevie kept back a groan, they knew that if she started to talk about horses, she would never stop! Ruthie, however was much more interested, but by the part of the story that was about the broken bone in Prancer's foot, she was wishing for the Cliff-notes version!  
  
".so to make a very interesting horse story shorter; Prancer was bought by Max and Judy Barker, you know the vet who I was apprenticing for, and now Lisa rides her regularly! Oh yeah, I forgot about Stevie's horse, her name is Belle, but you know she didn't always have a name, in fact." Carole said.  
  
"CAROLE STOP!!!!!" Lisa and Stevie screamed in unison. Carole looked around sheepishly and then she decided that they were just joking with her.  
  
"It almost makes me wish I didn't have anymore questions," Ruthie said "but, I just want to know two more things, okay 1)What do your parents do? and 2) How long have you guys known eachother?"  
  
"Well, Carole's dad is a colonel, Stevie's parents are lawyers, and my dad does something in an office, and I'm convinced my mom's job is to annoy me!" Lisa said with a grin.  
  
"We've known each other since what seems like forever! But, it really hasn't been, Lisa just started riding a year or so ago. I knew Carole before that of course, because she came here about six months before Lisa. We are all part of The Saddle Club; which is a club that we started ourselves. The only rules are that you have to be horse crazy and be willing to help each other no matter what." Stevie said.  
  
"Okay, now you have to answer a few of our questions," Carole said "1)What do your parents do, 2)How long have you been riding, and 3)Do you have a horse?"  
  
"Okay, my dad's a minister for our local church, and my mom does the same as Lisa's she tries to annoy me! Just kidding! It is hard as the youngest in a family with seven kids though, well not really the youngest, Sam and David, the twins are actually the youngest, but they don't really do anything, they're only two. I've been riding for about a year, the same as Lisa. I'm going to be in my first show next weekend, which is why I'm not at the convention with the rest of my family; my instructor felt that it was "necessary for me to practice so that I can be better then the rest of the novice riders" and I don't have a horse, but I love to ride this one horse; Apollo. He's a thoroughbred from the track too, but he just couldn't run fast enough so the owner sold him to the owner of my barn." Ruthie said as she noticed clouds gathering above them in the sky.  
  
"Well, your instructor is right; you really need to practice to do your best." Carole said. Then she noticed what the other girls were staring at in the sky.  
  
"I think we should turn back, you know how Patch doesn't like thunder!" Lisa said as there was a loud boom of thunder.  
  
"AAAAAHHHHHHHH!! Help me!" Ruthie screamed as Patch took off, heading into a part of the woods that had no trail.  
  
A/N: Please review! No flames!! I'll try and get the next chapter up as soon as I can! 


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Ha! New chapter!! After a couple of months, but that is NOT the point!! Okay, so, here you go!  
  
Patch sped through the woods, dodging every tree that came his way. Ruthie held on for dear life and stayed ducked low as the wind whipped past her and her eyes began to water.  
  
"We've gotta save her!" Stevie shouted as she dug her heels into Belle's side. Belle sprang into motion, sensing the urgency in her voice. Prancer and Starlight soon followed. They went crashing through the trees with the rain blinding their eyes.  
  
Eventually, the rain began to let up and the sun appeared. Stevie, Carol, and Lisa looked at their surroundings, only to find that they were simply in a forest.  
  
"Ruthie, Patch!" the girls cried in unison. All of a sudden, Carol let out a loud whistle followed by a shrug.  
  
"Sometimes it works in the field," Carol explained sheepishly. Then, the girls heard pounding hoof beats. Hey looked to the right and saw Patch cantering towards them with a disheveled Ruthie on his back. Patch slowed down to a walk and stopped right next to Belle. Ruthie slid out of his saddle and sat down on a nearby tree root.  
  
"That was a wild ride!" Ruthie exclaimed. There were a few scratches on her face and a rather large superficial gash above her right eyebrow, but she seemed fine other than that. Patch, on the other hand was another story. There were small scrapes all over his legs, but what worried the girls the most was the he was favoring his right foreleg.  
  
Stevie hopped of Belle and went to check Patch. She took the hoof pick out of her back pocket hoping he had just picked up a stone and hadn't bruised the frog in his foot. She sighed with relief as she dug out the dirt and wound up wit h a small, smooth stone.  
  
Ruthie stood up, dusted herself off, which only caused the mud to rub in further, and began to walk Parch around. After making sure he was not limping, Stevie gave her a leg up and then put her own foot in the stirrup and swung on to Belle's back.  
  
Lisa looked around a little and decided that they should turn to the left. After a little bit of frustration and back tracking, the girls found the main trail and began to journey back to the barn.  
  
A/N: This is short, I know, I know, but I already wrote chapter four and I'm going to type it as soon as I have time today. So, please review and no flames! :) 


	4. Chapter 4

A/n: look I'm back! Yes I know I have been gone for a while. But I had finals and the pre-final tests and all that wonderous stuff... and I just couldn't bring myself to do this... I'm so lazy... so anyway... on w/ the story!  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own anything in the story... not even Apollo tear tear  
  
"Where have you four been?" Mrs. Reg asked, "Wait, four of you? Last time I checked, there were only three!"  
  
"The new one is Ruthie, she's from California," Stevie replied,"Do you have anything for her head?"  
  
Mrs. Reg nodded and brought out a first aid kit as she began to tell a story, "I knew a horse from California once, he was a wild one. One day I tried to bring him into the stable so he wouldn't get too wet in the rain. I grabbed a halter and a lead rope and went out in the field to get him." With that, Mrs. Reg left and put the first aid kit away. The girls exchanged a confused look, but shrugged it offand began tending to Patch's leg.  
  
They brought Patch back to his stall and gave him a carrot and a few green apple jelly beans.  
  
The girls walked up the stairs to the hayloft and began to help Ruthie polish her tack and boots.  
  
"You said that the horse you ride's name is Apollo right?" Carol asked as she buffed Ruthie's right boot.  
  
"Yeah, he's a real sweetie," Ruthie answered as she applied saddle soap to her saddle. Her riding attire, saddle, and bridle had all been shipped earlier in the week so she could practice using her new equipment.  
  
"Are you excited or nervous about you show?" Stevie asked.  
  
"A little bit of both, but I know Apollo will take care of me." Ruthie replied knowingly.  
  
The girls finished soaping, oiling, polishing, and buffing the supple leather in silence, each thinking of their own favorite horse.  
  
"I can't thank you enough for helping me with all of this stuff!" Ruthie exclaimed. Stevie, Lisa, and Carol smiled.  
  
"You're welcome, after all, one of the rules of The Saddle Club is to help the other members," Lisa explained.  
  
"Really, I'm in The Saddle Club?" Ruthie asked earnestly.  
  
The other girls nodded and they joined in a group hug. They set up their sleeping bags in a square, with their heads pointing inwards. They talked for a little while longer about horses, but soon drifted off to sleep.  
  
A/N: There you have it... now press that review button because you know you want to and because you want to make that review number higher also because if you do, I'll be your best friend! wink wink I'll try and get the new chapter up as soon a I finish my summer reading, but considering I have to read each sentence about three times in The Hound of the Baskervilles, it may take a while, but DEFINITELY before I head off to Canada! 


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Woohoo look at me!!! I wrote 2.5 chappies!!! Yay!! LOL so. . . on with the story!

Disclaimer: don't own anything in the story blah blah blah u guys know the speech. . .

"Heels down!" Max shouted to Ruthie for what seemed like the hundredth time. It was around ten A.M. and Ruthie felt that it was way too early to be riding. Of course, her body was still running on California time, so it really felt like seven A.M.

"Bring your horses to a walk, turn them to the center of the ring and stop," Max instructed. He then began to tell the group of four (Lisa, Carol, Stevie, and Ruthie) the course they would be jumping, "Take the red outside line to the rainbow jump, then the roll top, the other outside line, the orange diagonal, and finally a half moon from the black jump to the red and purple over here. Don't forget opening and closing circles!" After the last of theses instructions, Max sat down on the bench closest to the fence of the ring to watch.

The girls took a minute to process all of the information that had just been aimed at them and went over the course in their head.

"I'll go first!" Carol volunteered. She picked up a trot to begin her opening circle. The other girls moved to the other side of the ring as they watched Carol move swiftly and gracefully through the course. Carol patted Starlight for a job well done and then walked back into line with the other girls and awaited Max's commentary.

"Well done, Carol, but make sure you keep your hands even in the two-point position to keep from jerking Starlight in the mouth. So, keeping that in mind, who's next?" Max asked.

This time, Stevie stepped forward. Like Carol, she started at a trot to begin her opening circle and then picked up a canter. However, when she got to the half moon, she slowed down to a trot. She then completed the half moon and made a closing circle.

Max walked over and inquired, "Why did you slow to a trot to do the half moon?"

"I just have some sort of mental block when it comes to half moons, but by slowing down I was able to do it," Stevie replied.

"Okay, but try it at a canter next time. Other wise it was good, but you have to make sure belle is on the correct lead.

Stevie nodded and Lisa stepped forward. She began the course and did quite well, except she allowed Prancer to speed up and that caused him to take off from greater distances than she had anticipated.

Lisa was disappointed in herself for letting him do this and looked rather ashamed. "Oops," Lisa said meekly. "Sorry Prancer."

"Lisa, I expect by your expression that you realize what you did," Max said with a note of disappointment. Lisa nodded and joined the rest of the girls. "Las but not least, Ms. Ruthie Camden," Max exclaimed.

Ruthie began her opening circle and turned towards the first jump. "Just take it one jump at a time," she thought to herself. Patch soared over the first two jumps and Ruthie began to feel pretty confident. Patch went over the rainbow jump with no problem. She did a simple lead change before heading to the roll top.

That's when disaster struck. Someone opened the door to the indoor ring, and then after seeing poe0pole inside, slammed it shut, just as Ruthie began to go into her two-point. Patch spooked and Ruthie, being unbalanced, flew off him and onto the ground.

The last thing she rememebered before the world went black was someone screaming for an ambulance.

A/N: LOOK A CLIFFHANGER! Lol muahahahahahaha sooo evil rnt I! Just too bad I'm gonna post chapter 6 in a few mins. So it wont be too long of a cliffhanger... oh well... still I think you should review in the few mins. It takes me to type and add the new chapter! Have fun!


End file.
